Back in June 2012, Metal Compass released a $59.99 gun peripheral called the Xappr, which is designed to be used with the iPhone, as well as a range of Android- and Windows Phone-powered smartphones.

Now, if you're after a realistic-looking gun, the Xappr definitely isn't the mobile peripheral for you. In fact, it looks like a prop from the set of the forthcoming Star Trek movie rather than a weapon you'd find in Black Ops.

That being said, it's a solid piece of kit. Yes, it's plastic, but it doesn't feel cheap. Plus, it doesn't feel like it'll break if you grip it too tightly as you excitedly mow down waves of baddies.

It doesn't look cheap, either. It's not covered in stickers, and it doesn't house a ton of tacky-looking buttons like some peripherals do.

Have a look

All the Xappr features, then, is a trigger, a retractable cable that plugs into your device's 3.5mm headphone jack, a speaker, and a cushioned clamp that uses a rubber grip to hold your mobile device of choice in place.

While this clamp is a little fiddly (you have to turn a very thin dial to open and close it), it is very secure, so there's pretty much no chance of your favourite smartphone coming loose during play.

The Xappr, by the way, requires three AAA batteries, which you insert into the butt of the peripheral. Unfortunately, these aren't supplied.The catalogue

There are various games on the App Store, Google Play, and the Windows Phone Store that have been created with the Xappr in mind.

On iOS [download] and Android [download], you can easily find and download these titles by first downloading the free MetalCompass app.

In this app, all of the games that are compatible with your Xappr peripheral are highlighted. Naturally, the amount of titles on offer differs by both platform and country.

There are ten titles (a mixture of free and paid) highlighted on iOS in the UK, for example. To be frank, though, several of them are pants. A couple of them aren't even really games.

The best of the free bunch is probably PirateBay [download], which is a Seven Seas-themed gallery shooter in which you blow away waves of grog-swilling buccaneers.

Why not?

Lamentably, the Xappr isn't compatible with all of the augmented reality titles on the App Store, Google Play, and the Windows Phone Store.

It isn't compatible with Elite CommandAR: Last Hope, for instance, which we went hands-on with back in November.